Itaipu Parquetec, a company created by the state-owned Itaipu, distributed an additional Christmas meal (called “turkey voucher”) of R$1,200 to employees this month. The company receives resources mainly from the hydroelectric plant, which in turn earns income from electricity bills paid by the population.
The amount was announced this month on the big screen during the end-of-year party and was celebrated among employees, both during the event and in posts on social networks. “Dinner here is going to be big, so what?” one employee wrote.
The Christmas check payment is one of several uses of Itaipu’s resources not directly related to the energy sector, initiatives contested by private sector representatives and congressional consultants. These allocations come as the hydroelectric plant charges Brazilians a higher rate than other plants, even after eliminating its construction debt in recent years.
A survey carried out by consumer representatives shows that, among the country’s large hydroelectric plants, the cost of producing the plants is what weighs the most on the pockets of Brazilians.
In total, Itaipu Parquetec (Fundação Parque Tecnológico Itaipu) received BRL 207 million from the factory last year in the form of subsidies and agreements. The value represents 75% of the company’s total net revenue.
Contacted, Parquetec declared that the Christmas benefit is provided for in the collective labor agreement “and reflects recognition of the commitment of our employees”. “This is a positive social impact investment, which represents a small percentage of our overall budget and helps to strengthen the local economy during the Christmas period,” the company said in a note.
Among the programs developed by Parquetec there is research related to themes such as green hydrogen and elements such as the Christmas Energy project, which aims to “promote Christmas decoration in the city of Foz do Iguaçu”.
The company also develops projects in partnership with other public bodies such as the public company Finep which, as shown Leafis close to the legal limit for operations and has requested a contribution of 3.5 billion reais from the Treasury to continue lending.
Itaipu is part of the structure of ENBPar, a federal public company that also has a stake in Eletronuclear – which, in turn, also requests a contribution from the National Treasury (in this case, 1.4 billion reais).
According to Itaipu, Parquetec’s mission is to “understand and transform the reality of the trinational region of Iguaçu, articulating and promoting actions aimed at economic, scientific and technological development.”
Parquetec indicated that only the amounts relating to Itaipu grants (29% of total net income) are allocated to core funding, responsible for the management and maintenance of the team. The remainder received from the factory is applied to the agreements. The value of subsidies received from Itaipu corresponded to 82 million reais in 2024.
Report of Leaf showed this year that, among those who follow the hydroelectric plant’s routine, there is a growing perception that electricity bill money, the plant’s cash source, is being used to pursue partisan politics. The factory management categorically denies the existence of such a strategy.
The value of Parquetec’s Christmas voucher went viral on social media and most of the reactions came from people interested in working at the company and asking where to send their CV.
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